St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-02-24
r. R. COMMISSIONERS REPORT.
A Defective Rail Found to be the Cause
of the Hartford Disaster.


A Defective Rail Found to be the Cause
of the Hartford Disaster.
The state board of railroad commits
sioners published their report in rela-
ton to the Hartford disaster Tuesday.
They find that the cause of the disas-
ter was broken rail which caused the
breaking of the journal on the sleeper
Pilgrim. The following extracts give
the substance of the report:
At point SO feet from the abut-
ment at the south end of the bridge.
while the train was moving at speed
of less than IL miles an hour, the rear
sleeper "Pilgrim" was thrown from the
rails, but kept the roadbed until it
came upon the bridge, when the rear
end swung to the right side of the
track to the deck of the bridge and
thence to the frozen river below, dis
lance of 43 feet, drawing with it the
sleeper and the two coaches i'm front.
The proof is beyond reasonable doubt
that the train was slowed up before the
first derailment occurred by the partial
application of the brakes-that the
same were left off before the bridge
was reached, and the train was then
running along by its own momentum
until the brakes were applied on the
bridge, as the rear of the train began
swinging off.
The 18th rail from the south end of
the bridge on the inside of the curve,
being the right hand rail going north,
was found to be broken at point 10
feet and inches from the end farther
est from the bridge and the part brok-
en- off was itself broken into several
fragments, and at the several points of
fracture showed defect running
lengthwise of the rail, on the inside
thereof, beginning near the end and
about one fourth of an inch from the
surface of the ball and running back
and gradually extending deeper into
the body of the rail. This defect exist
ed i'm the bloom from which the rail
was rolled and nowhere appeared up
on the surface of the rail. This rail
was 80 foot rail, rolled at st. Adams
from Bessemer steel bloom from Ger
many and weighed 60 pounds to the
yard.
No evidence was brought before the
commission that the journal of the
Pullman car was defective.
Conclusions.
The board finds that the running of
the train was properly managed on the
part of all concerned therin. 1t was
properly slowed up as it came near
curve and bridge. The rules require a
speed of not exceeding Is miles per
hour when running upon and over
bridges. The speed here was cOnsid-
erably within the rule. The brakes
were gradually let on and off at the
proper points. The opening of the
throttle and pulling a part of the train
away from the falling cars by the en-
gineer, after his discovery of the stu
alton, is approved, and also the efforts
of train men, railroad officials and 9th
ers in caring for the injured. The
board finds that the derailment and
accident were caused by the breaking
of the rail at the defective point above
described ; that the breaking of this
rail or the next one beyond it, caused
the breaking of the central journal of
the forward truck of the sleeper "Pil-
grim," in some way unknown to the
board, but probably from the throwing
of some portion of one of the broken
rails violently against it, the web of
the steel rail indenting the wrought
iron journal straining and swapping it in
its frosty state that thereupOn the in
terror wheels of this truck began to
run irregularly, and to crowd ont the
inner rail of the curve, and to strike
the sleepers with the broken ends of
it's journal, and to abrase and indent
the left hand rail in the manner indi
Gated, until coming to the ties of the
bridge, with deep openings between
them, the car was thrown from the
bridge to the right, and those that
went down to the front of it were drag
ged off the bridge in succession by the
strong Miller couplers that bound the
train together.
The evidence was clear and cOnclu-
sive that the sleeper "Pilgrim" was
ierailed as above indicated and the |
board so find, and there was evidence
tending to show that other cars were |
also off the rails before the bridge was
but upon this point the board
has reached no conclusion, and it re-
cards this as incidental only to it's
indings; that the opening of the thrOt-
lie of the locomotive by the engineer
Is he saw the rear of the train falling,
detached the mail car from the train
behind it saved the remainder of the
rain from wrecking.
The board regards it due to the COR
,OratiOn as well as to the public to
tate also that from the evidence be-
ore it, it appears, and the board find
hat the defect in the rail which caus
ID the derailment was of such a char
lcter that it could not be detected I'M
il disclosed by the breaking of the
ron.
The board thinks that the want of a
,uard rail in no way contributed to
he accident and i'm conclusion called
he attention of railroad corporations
o the need of changed methods of
leating and lighting cars.
Presidential Candidates.
Springfield Republican, Feb. %.